


A Beast Among Men

by DarkKushi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cop!Sasuke, Drugs, Gang, Gangster!Naruto, Multi, NaruSasu - Freeform, Police, SasuNaru - Freeform, Smut, Undercover, Violence, cop, explicit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:06:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6677242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkKushi/pseuds/DarkKushi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story about an alternate Japan where the corruption has changed the way the social classes are seen. The richer classes look down at those who aren't well off, those like Naruto who belong to a gang which seeks to change the way the country is run. But without the knowledge there is an investigation going on and undercover cops have been spread out. Will Naruto's life be changed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> I'm starting this new FanFiction and this is the "pilot" for the series. Any commentary you might have will be helpful so let me know.

Japan was faced with rapid change, things had changed and so had people, some to deal with the way things were and some just because of influence, there were few people who were actually considered good anymore, it was probably a myth now. No one was good and no one was worth saving, much less Naruto. The tanned male had given up on his dream of becoming successful because no one gave him a chance and there wouldn’t be a chance due to the inept corruption of the city; people only became anything with money and connections and if one didn’t posses either of those they were definitely screwed and forced to live a life much below what they had once expected to live.

The city had become rippled with clans and gangs, not that they did much damage but these people had just found a different way of surviving together and it was just another way of getting by now. Naruto belonged to one of these gangs, they didn’t have a formal name but the police had begun to call them “beasts” and it stuck with them, at first no one liked it and everyone tried to change it but eventually they gave up and started to use the name.

Naruto was a tall blond male who had tanned skin, which was confusing to everyone in Japan because he was different from them, and that was something that affected people more now a days. They all seemed to look at him differently when he walked by, maybe the fact that he wore an orange jacket helped, but his tanned skin and blue eyes got their fair share of looks. His best friend was another tall man, skinny with black and spiky hair, you could always find him with a cigarette in his mouth even though he repeatedly said he hated smoking and that it was some sort of homage to his dead teacher. Their gang spent most of their free time in a bar that belonged to one of the member’s family and all in all they got good business, but today it was just the two of them because they had gotten a free day and were a few cups of whiskey into an interesting conversation.

“See, the reason we have gangs now is because as individuals we’re weak and can’t get anything done, much less get a message across these rich assholes, they look down on us as if we were scum and hate our very existence in this world.” Shikamaru went on, he hated this change the world had faced; good people with good backgrounds who served the country were shut off from any government funding, coincidently, his father who had worked for the army was one of those people and he hated it, so was his late teacher, Asuma. “There were good people, people who cared and helped… But that’s not what anyone looks at any more, all they see is money, ways to spend it, ways to earn more, no one cares about people anymore, no one cares about what’s good.”

Naruto was used to this speech, they always ended up on this specific topic for some reason and he understood why Shikamaru felt that way, yet there was one thing he always disagreed with. “We aren’t weak as individuals, we’re strong, but not many of us feel that way so that’s why no one fights on their own.” Was his reply every time Shikamaru called people weak, he hated believing that people were so weak that they didn’t care about anything happening anymore, that there were people who didn’t want to get their old life back. “But the fact is we are stronger together, we manage to get a message across sometimes, even though it’s just very rarely… We still manage something this way.” He ended with a sigh. 

They kept going on this topic for a while, he didn’t know what to do anymore because he had tried everything and he had given all he had this whole week during riots and campaigns, but no one seemed to even look their way because they were too busy polishing they shoes or getting their ass kissed by people who wanted to be up there with them, it was sickening for him. When it was late enough to leave, the blond paid for his drinks and left his friend there, knowing Shikamaru would stay longer to meet with his girlfriend; everyone had something or someone to distract them from their horrible life but not him, Naruto was alone whenever he left his gang and always walked to an empty house.

The blond didn’t walk home tonight, he couldn’t bear to be alone again so instead he walked to a park in the city, he knew he might find a few friendly people there who’d make for decent company. As the night prolonged itself he found himself laying on a park bench and staring at the sky as he heard a group of teenagers get high and laugh, it was nice to hear someone laugh, it had been a while since he did the same without being either high or completely drunk. The sky however distracted him, no one could actually see many stars because of the pollution that plagued the city but he could make out two or three and those few ones made his heart melt slightly, it was what he needed at that moment, and maybe a drink.

Moments after he was focusing on the stars Naruto heard a voice which broke his daze, looking over to find the source he saw a man who was pale and had black hair which stuck up in every direction and a fringe that almost covered his eyes, they were about the same height. “Sorry what was that?” He asked the stranger who was starting, knowing he hadn’t heard what he had said before.

“I was asking if you’d mind sitting up or moving… All other benches are taken by groups.” The main replied with a shrug, his voice deep and low which resonated in Naruto’s ear. After eyeing him for a second the blond decided to give the man a seat and sat up a little, sitting back against the back of the bench and tilting his head up to continue to look at the sky. “I’m Naruto.” He said after a second or two of silence because he was a polite man, besides the whole being in a gang and doing drugs thing.

The man was quiet for some time, probably unsure if he should engage in conversation with him or not but finally he spoke again and the sound of his voice still sounded incredible in the blond’s head, he never knew people could sound that good. “Sasuke…”

“That’s a nice name…” Naruto said in response with a smile, he didn’t know if he should keep a conversation going with him but the fact was that he wanted to hear this stranger speak more. “Are you from here?” That was probably a stupid question considering no one came to this small village, only those who lived here or those who were coming back because they remembered that the corruption in the city would aid them in some way.

Naruto didn’t think that Sasuke would reply because he was quiet for a long time, though after hearing the other man sigh with frustration he heard him speak, “yes, I am.” And then it went quiet again. Okay so this man wasn’t one for speaking too much, he didn’t seem to be too friendly either, but that wasn’t enough to stop the blond so he kept using, asking him questions about his age or work position and the only reply he got was, “look, I don’t want to talk. I came here to get some quiet, well as quiet as it can get anyway.” And the blond couldn't keep pressuring him to do anything, he couldn’t keep asking him anything, so instead he just stood up and nodded, “sorry for bothering you.” After apologising Naruto decided to walk away, making his way home or maybe to another bar so he didn’t keep worrying about things but home seemed like the best possible option.

Naruto had been walking for some time before he decided to actually go home, he lived downtown like most of the population that was in some sort of financial downhill, the apartments were small and cramped and he knew that there was going to either be a fight in his building or someone over dosing on something which would mean cops. All in all, it was home and in less than a few minutes he was inside his little apartment, sitting on his bed and looking out the window, trying to understand why the other was so keen on being left alone, everyone was alone now a days. Maybe he was one of the lucky few that had someone to keep him busy. 

Trying not to think of it too much he decided to lay down and go to sleep, which had been an issue for him for quite some time. The tanned male seemed to not be able to fall asleep as quickly as he once could and spent a large part of the evening twisting and turning in his bed, the same as tonight. Naruto was tired of not being able to sleep so he decided to get up and get high, weed was what had helped the past couple of times so he assumed it would work the same way now. 

As he smoked he found a seat by the window, looking down at the town he once loved so much. And eventually his eyes found their way to the park he had met the mysterious man, maybe it was because he was high but he couldn’t get him out of his head for a couple hours, he could only think about the sound of his voice and his very delicate features. Naruto thought he hadn’t payed attention to him but in fact he noticed that he actually paid very detailed attention to him. 

“Sasuke…” The whispered out to himself, smiling a little as he remembered everything he saw about him; he had soft, delicate features, his skin seemed flawless and a milky tone very few people could pull off, his lips were thin but plump, pink which merged very well with the soft colour of his skin. And his eyes, he had sharp, dark eyes which could pierce daggers into anyone if he so wished it, it was intimidating, but gorgeous. He had been wearing black jeans and a white t-shit, one that seems a size too big but that still somehow managed to look fine, maybe Sasuke was just one of those few people who looked good in anything they wore, that was a logical assumption.

Naruto knew he was thinking too much about someone he didn’t know until a couple hours ago but at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to stop no matter how hard he tried, and he did, but his mind was too busy either thinking of the pale man or thinking of food, which made sense due to his high. Yet he had a mission when he decided to smoke and that was to get weary enough that he could fall asleep. And it did work after about another 30 minutes of mindless staring out the window, lucking lay he just had to shift off the headboard of the bed and down to the mattress, closing his eyes and falling into a deep daze where hardly any memories survived, and the only one that had was the one of Sasuke’s face and the question for if he’d ever see him again.


	2. Unexpected Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay, it was my last month of classes and I had a lot of projects due for my university.  
> Though I hope the chapter is enough to make it up to all of you!

A week had passed since his encounter with the mysterious and quiet man at the park, he had been going there every night in hopes of meeting him again, yet Naruto tried to hide it by going out for a run instead of just going to sit there. He wondered why that man was there on that one night that was always crowded but the days that it was basically empty they he hadn’t appeared, and it made him wonder more because Sasuke’s reasoning for having gone there was to get some peace and quiet.

The blond had practically given up on the park and instead he had now decided to spend more time at that same bar with Shikamaru till the late night so he could get his mind off of it. But on this specific night it was proving to be difficult, no one knew his reasons for drinking every night, he didn’t want to talk about it and just pretend he dreamt the whole thing. And just as he was coming to terms that that encounter had never happened the door of the bar opened and the usually loud and rowdy crowd went dead silent, all eyes on the door to see who was coming into their territory.

Just to the blonds surprise it was Sasuke. He was soaking went from the rain that had been pouring and his hair was a mess, he seemed cold and one thing was certain, no one in this bar would let another person get an illness. Shikamaru looked at the man for a second before turning to tell Naruto that they were the same size and that he should definitely get him a change of clothes to which the blond obliged and got up from his seat, walking over to the dark haired man and offering him a small smile. “I’ve got an extra shirt you can borrow… And some sweatpants if you want.” 

After the quick exchange Naruto took Sasuke into the bathroom of the bar and handed him the change of clothes he had. The blond was supposed to go to the gym that day but it so happened that the bar and the drinks got the better of him so it was safe to say that he was a few drink in already. “So… Sasuke right?” He asked, knowing his name but still wanting to have a conversation with the dark haired male.

“Yes, that is in fact my name.” Sasuke replied coldly, obviously not happy with the events and seemingly more upset the moment he was spoken to. “Thank you for lending me your clothes.” He said as he walked out of the stall, looking himself in the broken mirror over the sink, only to notice that even though they were roughly the same height Naruto was much more built than he was so the clothes seemed a little large for him.

Naruto smiled at the thanks and he nodded in response, his mood had changed the moment he saw Sasuke walk through the door and was now feeling a little better because this had to be faith right? “So, you never went back to that park. I run there at night and I never see you.” He said, not wanting to sound like a creepy stalker that was lurking around the bushes of the park just waiting for him to arrive.

“And you’ve never ran there before you met me.” The pale skinned male replied, this time sending the blond a small smirk. Naruto’s expression was worthy of a picture and that was exactly what he did, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Naruto’s expression. “I live right in front of the park, I look out the window every night.” 

Naruto blinked for a second before nodding and letting out a small hum, “yeah.. Of course you do, why wouldn’t you live there?” He said, trying to play if off but failing miserably because everything was now just going to shit. “I wasn’t stalking you, I mean I know that’s what it seems like but I’m not I-” Naruto stopped talking, he was just making a fool of himself.

Sasuke let out a small laugh at the others confusion, “you’re gay and you thought I was attractive. Yes, I’m perfectly aware of your sexuality and I cannot say I’m not a good-looking individual; I’ll take your behaviour as a compliment. Now, how about I buy you a drink as a thank you for the clothes and then I go home?” He suggested, mainly because the blond seemed to be as confused as ever.

If there was a glowing yellow sign floating in the air that said ‘idiot’ it would be pointing straight to Naruto and making him feel even worse. But he was glad when Sasuke decided to suggest a solution and quickly nodded, “that seems reasonable. I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to weird you out.” He muttered, as he looked straight at the ground, trying to make Sasuke see that he wasn’t some stalker or an idiot.

If there was anytime for Sasuke to drop his ice queen act it would be now but he honestly wasn’t in the best of moods, his clothes were wet, he came into a bar he’d never planned on entering unless it was highly necessary but here he was, hair dripping onto the others clothes and sitting on the bar stool, “You didn’t.” He said before ordering two drinks, he didn’t really know what Naruto drank but the bartender seemed to know pretty well so that wasn’t a problem. He had his glass of vodka with two blocks of ice while as Naruto had his glass of scotch, neat. 

They drank in silence because Naruto seemed to be too embarrassed to talk and Sasuke didn’t speak unless it was highly necessary so the entire thing was just an awkward drinking sit down, even Naruto’s friend’s from the bar were looking at them and wondering what the fell was happening to the blond for him to be so quiet.

Not too long after Sasuke finished his drink he grabbed a napkin from the bar and wrote down his number, trying to give Naruto a smile but being unable to at the moment. “Call me in three days to come pick your clothes up.” He said before getting up and walking out of the bar, leaving the blond to stare at the napkin on his own for a long while, he wondered if he really only should call in three days and he was about to ask him about that but when he looked up again he saw the raven haired male leave the bar.

With a heavy sigh and a heavy thump Naruto laid his head on the bar, playing with the glass in his hand, making the other guys give him knowing stares, only when he was his third drink in did Shikamaru come to his side to talk to him. “Well, looks like you’ve got your eye on someone.” He hummed and chuckled as Naruto groaned and ordered himself another drink.

“I don’t… I don’t know if I do okay? I just want to get to know him, he seems like a nice guy.” He admitted with a small huff, looking over at him and looking away quickly, his cheeks turning a shade of pink, he’d blame the alcohol if he were questioned about it.

With an unbelieving hum Shikamaru nodded and shrugged, “shame then, because he seems to like you, or that’s what I’d say if he acted like a normal person, he seems too cold and distant. Don’t get too close, you never kn-“

“Know what might happen tomorrow.” Naruto sighed and waved his hand dismissively, “I know that okay? I know it’s dangerous for us to try and get with someone who isn’t on out side. I don’t get that feeling from him though; at least I don’t think so. I just want to get to know him.” 

Shikamaru knew that it was difficult for his friend; he was one of the few people in their gang that wanted someone, a reason to fight. He had his own and she did make it worth while to be out there, the risk of getting shot or thrown in jail was nothing compared to coming home every night to her arms. Everyone had someone and Naruto needed someone too. Patting his shoulder and giving it a small squeeze he smiled a little sadly as if it were an apology for him being unable to help. “Why don’t you come to my house tonight? Temari baked a cake and you could have some…” The older man suggested with a small smile, trying to be there for his friend.

Any other day Naruto would have agreed and gone with him but today was just not one of those days, it was another night where he had completely failed to carry an actual conversation with that man who wouldn’t get out of his head, he hated it. Looking at Shikamaru the blond gave a weak smile and shook his head, thanking him politely before getting up and putting his jacket on. After bidding the rest of the people quick farewells he walked out of the bar and towards his house.

On the bright note he did have the other’s phone number, and he could just text him, maybe just talk to him like that or make a plan to grab a cup of coffee, or something. He had no idea; he was bad at this dating thing. Most of the people he had been with were for short relationships or one night stands and there was never any of this involved in it and what he wanted would require a lot of this and he was willing to do any of this if it meant that he could be with someone he lied, even if it was just for a while. 

Naruto laughed at his own thoughts as he walked back to his apartment, he was already saying that he like the mysterious Sasuke Uchiha but hardly knew a thing about him, it wasn’t time to make such judgments and it definitely wasn’t time to spend thinking about the other for so long after they were just together, it was possibly going to be considered obsessive if he were to ever tell anyone, thus he decided that he would stop thinking about him. 

The blonds plan worked fine, at least until he laid his head down on his pillow. The rest of the evening had gone thought free of Sasuke, not once did he even think about him, but now that he was in bed and ready to sleep the thoughts poured in his mind and he spent the night trying to stop, meaning he tossed and turned, pulled the blankets on and off, put on a sweater and took it of because his body was telling that it was too cold and suddenly it was too hot, he officially had no control over his own life and he didn’t know how he could get it back.

It was well past three in the morning when Naruto managed to finally fall asleep but the neighbour hood he lived in didn’t stop moving. He had left the curtains drawn so there were lights from passing cars lighting the room, sounds of people laughing, arguing and fighting seeping through the cracked window, yet none of this bother him because in all honestly he slept like a rock and his dreams didn’t come to bother him this time around, it was probably one of the first time’s he’s ever gone to sleep and done so this soundly. 

The next morning when he woke he felt refreshed, so he started the day by instantly jumping in the shower, followed by his breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee, and lastly him collecting his phone, keys and wallet before he left the apartment and walked towards where the group had decided to meet for their latest protest. When he got there it was much fuller than he expected, the outsides of the city hall were crowded with people and with police because today was the day that there would be a new vote on the rising of the salaries, something they’ve been fighting for over a very long course of time. 

As he scanned the area he saw people of all kinds mixed together, rich, poor, homeless, children, teenagers and adults. Fat people, thin people, and dark, light skinned, all sorts of races and ethnicities, for the results to come in. Though as he looked through the crowd his eyes laid on one particular person and he’d be lying if he said his stomach didn’t do an involuntary flip.


	3. No Starts to Wish Upon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I do apologise for the delay, I just had some trouble writting this chapter but ere it finally is, hopefully things will pick up speed from now on!

Naruto was focused, on the wrong thing however. Ever since he looked at the sea of people and looked at the man who’d constantly been harassing his thoughts he nearly forgot that he was at a really, but then it dawned on him, Sasuke didn’t know what he was, he didn’t know he was part of the group so famously entitled as Beats and it scared him, what if he were to go there, say hello and completely forget the reason he was there in the first place? It would be a horrible faith for him and there would be consequences for him back at the bar. The blond wasn’t a fan of making tough decisions but for now he needed to focus on the reason he was here.

Pulling a bandana over his mouth and nose, just to the point where it covered his scars because he was the only person around with those and if the police or the media got a sight of them on one of these relays it would all be over for him. He’d regret his choice later but for now this was good, this was what he needed to do and this was the reason he’d come here in the first place and, surely, not too long after the protest started there was a sort of riot breaking out, the groups were starting to get agitated because the minister of finances wasn’t going to help anyone, it was all just talk and show and the people had grown smart enough to figure out what it meant for themselves, and that’s where their job started. 

In the middle of the crowd signs were raised, all which read “Down with the minster,” air horns started to blow in unison to overpower the sound of the minister talking, no one wanted to hear the lies and the false promises coming out of the mouth of a man who seemed to have a god complex and was seemingly unaware of it. The people had had enough and soon started to join in the protest with the gang, which was good for them because the police wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from one another. 

The blonds job was quite simple, it was difficult, especially because it was on the ground and it had to be done in perspective. He and Sai had to graffiti the ground, it wasn’t anything that should be interpreted in and aggressive way really but people liked to make their own interpretations of things. It was merely a picture of the minister standing on a golden platter, looking down on the people and throwing the equivalent of nickels onto them, a show of how much lies he feeds, how much he doesn’t try to change things for them. A crowd started to grow around them, watching what they did. 

When they were about done sirens started to sound, the police had called for reinforcement while everyone was throwing things on stage, shouting insults and prophesising over the sound of air horns and microphones, feeding people with incentive to rebel against the government, overthrow them and start one of their own. What started off peacefully began to get agitated, people started getting hurt by police, by each other, it was chaos and by the time Naruto had stood up Sai was running in the distance, trying to leave before anyone got to him because he was much thinner and would have a harder time defending himself as opposed to the blond. And soon enough that time did come, a man, not an officer of the law, just one of those poor bastards who sided with the government started to throw punches at him which he quickly retaliated, but ended up leaving him with bruises and cuts and scrapes, which was painful to say the least. 

When he did manage to break away he ran back to the bar, making sure he wasn’t being followed he took a much longer route and several turns before he stopped, breathless. In his rush he had gone much farther and actually ended up home, as if his body was leading him to where he needed to go instead of where he wanted to go, it was good, this was he could shower and clean his wounds. Walking into his apartment he texted Shikamaru, letting him know he was home and was planning on staying there for the rest of the day.

When that was all done he took himself to the bathroom and took a hot shower, just to clean himself up along with removing the sweat that had started to stick to his body from the horrible day he just had. He wondered if Sasuke was okay, but he wouldn’t ask because that would mean that he’d have gone out of his way to not go say hello to him which would then lead to a very awkward conversation between them, something he desperately wanted to avoid for the day. 

After the shower the blond patched himself up, closing up some of the cuts he had gotten but not daring to do anything to the cut on his lip, that would heal naturally and till then he’d have to avoid acid food and drinks. Sighing he made a quick bite to eat before sitting in front of the television, watching whatever was one and keeping any movement to a minimum because of the pain that was starting to form on his body. He spent the rest of the day doing this until it was night time and he was tired of being home.

Clothes, he needed to put some actual clothes and not just the pair of sweat pants he was wearing. SO getting up, slowly because moving hurt, he went to his room and changed into dark jeans, an orange t-shirt, a black jacket over it and some sneakers before grabbing his essentials and walking out of the house, aimlessly wandering the streets until he reached that familiar park which he had met Sasuke at. Smiling to himself because of how silly it was he walked over to a bench to rest his legs, which had started to throb from the pain, and looked up at the star filled sky above him, or at least he thought it was because he honestly couldn’t see a single one in the sky, pollution was a bitch.

“You look like crap.” A familiar voice sounded and made the blond look at the source of it, and miraculously enough, it was Sasuke.

“I look about as good as I feel.” Was his honest reply, followed by a small smile and a shrug; he didn’t want to talk about it but he knew that the conversation would eventually get there.

Sasuke rose a brow at the words and moved to sit next to the blond, keeping a safety distance between them, which the blond appreciated because Sasuke was too cute to have too close to him. “Orange is such a disgusting colour.” Was the next set of words to leave his mouth after noticing the t-shirt that the other had on. 

Naruto didn’t want to but he let out a hearty laugh, his ribs paining him the moment he did so, causing him to flinch a little, “no one seems to like it, I think I’m the only one… I don’t mind.” He admitted, rubbing his side as to try and sooth the pain he was feeling, it was actually much worse than he though and it could actually be serious, broken rib serious.

“I don’t doubt that. But what happened to you?” He asked, a hint of worry and concern in his voice which ultimately made Naruto feel much better, it was such a nice thought that Sasuke actually gave a damn about him even though their meetings seemed to be so random. 

With a heavy sigh and rubbing the back of his neck the blond couldn’t help but shrug, “I got into a fight…” And that was all he was planning on saying about it, telling him where and why was too much of a risk, one he couldn’t afford to take after knowing him for a total of a couple of hours, nothing more and nothing less. “It ended up being worse than I expected it too and all of me is in pain, it’s hard to move, and laugh.” Naruto admitted to the pain, it was too great for him not to, but all in all it was worth it in the end, it was for a cause he believed in and a cause he wanted to fight for.

Sasuke hummed and gave a short nod at the answer, it didn’t seem like there would be any more questioning about this and it all sort of made the blond feel relieved, but perhaps Sasuke was one of those people who hated what groups like his did and was scared that Naruto ended up being one of those… Or maybe he just didn’t really care. 

They sat in silence for a while, something Naruto thought would be awkward but in the end ended up being the most comfortable silence he’d ever felt, it was amazing and it made him feel quite glad. But after a long while the blond did have to break the silence, he couldn’t not talk for so long no matter how hard he had tried, it just wasn’t a characteristic of his, much less one he enjoyed. “What do you do for a living?” That was a safe question, but it did seem to be unexpected for him.

“I work at a book shop, kind of a family business thing and I work mornings and early afternoons.” Sasuke said, shrugging as he did. It wasn’t the most interesting answer and it certainly didn’t seem to match Sasuke, not that he wasn’t the type who enjoyed reading but because it seemed to be a job he’d enjoy, but maybe he was wrong.

Nodding the blond decided it best for him to keep quiet after some time, which made him open and close him mouth, about to speak but then stopping himself; it was tough because Sasuke didn’t seem to want to talk too much and he never knew when it was too much or when it wasn’t enough, so because he never wanted to cross the line he wanted to keep himself in a safe place, and silence was always safe.

But surprisingly who broke the silence next was the raven haired man, with a simple thing to say. “I don’t plan on ever returning your clothes. They’re loose on me and they’re incredibly comfortable.” And this confession brought a small flush to Naruto’s cheeks, he had never expected for him to say anything like that because it seemed so out of character for him, and that was probably the reason he felt even more embarrassed by it.

“Uh… yeah, sure that’s... fine.” Yes, mumbling was the perfect solution for embarrassment according to Naruto’s brain, and it just made Sasuke actually laugh and it was one of the most incredible sounds that the blond had ever heard in his life. His voice was deep and strong and made him feel glad for everything that had happened to that exact point in time. He was looking at his hands and when he did manage to look up at Sasuke he noticed just how close the other had gotten, and so silently, reminding him of a ninja. 

As he opened his mouth to ask what had happened Sauske was cupping his cheek, his thumb resting over his lip which caused the blonds cheeks to flare and burn. “Your lip is cut….” Was what Sasuke said, or at least is what he heard because his mind was elsewhere and his heart was pounding in his ears. “Y-yeah… I got punched…” He said, voice low with embarrassment but filled with curiosity as to what was going to happen. 

And just then did Sasuke’s lips collide with his own, it was so unexpected that Naruto couldn’t believe it was happening until Sasuke pulled away and stood up from his seat, looking down at him. “Don’t think too much of it. I just don’t like the idea of you getting hurt.” The paler male said before turning his back and walking away, not looking back at him, leaving the blond with a goofy smile on his face and a tint of pink on his cheeks that could be spotted from a mile away.


	4. Mind Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a horrible person and I say I'll post soon but I never do. I'm sorry; there's just been no inspiration to finish the new chapter except for right now. I hope it's good enough :)

Naruto sat in place for the next 15 minutes, playing back everything that happened tonight, deciding that coming out of was good idea because he needed the air, running into Sasuke who had told him that he wouldn’t return his clothes, and most of all being kissed by this man that had caught his eye the very first moment he saw him. It was almost all surreal, he didn’t know what it was that made everything so special and made him lose track of time, but he liked it.

Upon looking at the time on his phone he realised just how late he was, it wasn’t like the blond had anything planned for the next day but he still made it a habit of sleeping for what he considered to be decent hours of the night so the man stood, grin still plastered across his face and he slowly walked back to his apartment, humming a small and joyful tune under his breath just to share his feeling of happiness with the rest of the world. Once he arrived his retinue was fairly simple, strip down to his boxers, brushed his teeth and then lay on his bed, and he didn’t even acknowledge himself doing all of this and considered himself to be working on autopilot.

Weariness found the olive skinned male and soon enough and he was fast asleep, dreaming dreams of beautiful and wonderful things, something that had evaded the Uzumaki for a long while. 

The following morning however was even more different, the light seemed to shine brightly through the window, the light that filled the room and warmed his skin just enough to feel incredibly pleasant. Perhaps he should have kissed the other sooner, or better, Sasuke should have kissed him sooner so that he could finally get a different out take in his day. Naruto busied himself with showering and cleaning his apartment – a task the man had avoided for a very long time due to his dislike of dust – and then actually made himself something to eat that wasn’t instant ramen. 

His life hadn’t been the most pleasant growing up; his story made most people he knew sad and the other half pity him, something he despised because he wasn’t a sad little man. Naruto had lost his parents the day he was born, a reason he hated his birthday and refused to celebrate it, he grew up being shunned and called out by the other kids – he knew kids were mean but it affected him more than he’d care to admit to – and he acted out against the man who helped him the most, Iruka. That man to him was a father figure and helped him get his head on straight, which helped because after years of thinking he had no more family he met his godfather, a man who wrote erotic romance novels (all of which he owned and had read more than a couple times) who showed him that there was so much more he could be doing with his life. Not to mention that when the kids started growing up and actually started considering him a person and not just some little shit out on the road, he made wonderful friends that helped him through all of it, Shikamaru was one of those. 

Naruto had cursed his life before but now instead he was doing all he could to make himself happy and be proud of himself, make something of himself. The best way he could do that was by working for his godfather, reading his books, correcting mistakes he might find, just to keep himself on his feet and honestly he really did enjoy it, it relaxed him and made him live in a different world, even if it was just for a small second. This all brought great interest in the blond, something with lead him to write one of his own; it was a lot more difficult than he imagined it to be but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it. He based it on the current state of the country they lived in, setting it in the distant future and at how horrible the corruption turned the city. It was a book about poverty and fighting for equality, anger and hate. 

With a new perspective in sight Naruto found a new found inspiration to continue working on this book, it had been considerably long since he’d been able to write something which was frustrating to everyone involved in this process and to mend it the first thing in sight was to call his agent and let him know that he’d be able to submit another chapter within the next week at the latest, much to the man’s excitement. Walking up to the living room the blond set the laptop on the table and let it turn on as he bothered himself with making a pot of coffee, just enough for the morning because he wasn’t planning on leaving the place anytime soon. Quickly the man’s fingers started working on the keys, words were flowing out of him at an incredible pace and surprisingly enough there wasn’t a single mistake in sight. 

This went on for hours and only when his stomach growled did the tanned male realise it was past mid-day and he needed to eat, however the blond had no food of his own, he was forced to go out to eat almost every day because he was a horrible cook and a lazy one as well. Saving his work and sending it to his agent with a small note saying that there was more to come he copied it to his godfather who’d definitely give him some good advice. 

At arriving the bathroom, he turned the water on and let it heat up as he went to pick out something to wear, nothing out of the ordinary to anyone that was acquainted with him, black jeans and an orange t-shirt with a black jacket to go on top, needless to say that the man had a twisted sense of fashion. Once he got back in the bathroom the room was already fogged up, the small mirror above his sink was the perfect canvas for a drawing of a smiley face, a little bit of artistic liberation before he fully stripped and set the water pour down his body. It was rather hot, some would consider it to be scalding but the man in question had a high resistance to heat and loved the feeling of the boiling hot water against his skin, reddening his shoulders, chest and back. 

Once Naruto was dressed and groomed he walked out of his apartment with his phone, wallet and keys seeing as they were the only essentials he’d be needing at the moment, making his way down the road to his usual feeding grounds, Ichiraku’s Ramen shop, a small family business that made him feel welcome ever since he moved out here. The man made his usual small talk with the owner and his daughter, telling jokes and kindly thanking them for the food countless times in order to show his gratitude for all they’d done for him over the past years. Everything seemed to be going good, it was the most uneventful day the blond had had in the past weeks and everything seemed to be perfect.

Of course that was until he turned the corner in direction to the local market where that all changed. There was a crowd of seven men surrounding two younger girls, harassing them and trying to get them to perform favours, sexual ones from what Naruto could tell, but the young females were scared, it was obvious by the way they looked, by the way they were huddled together, looking at the floor and keeping completely still and quiet. Naruto was one of those people who hated any sort of injustice that appeared and this was clearly a form of it. Stepping closer to the men he noticed the way they looked, members of an opposing gang to make it worse, most of them had missing teeth and were badly scarred all over their face, no wonder the girls were so terrified. 

Once he was close enough he grabbed one by the back of his collar and slammed him on the ground and making the man hit his head and going unconscious, creating enough space for the girls to escape no matter how clumsily, they thanked him several times until there were out of sight. Naruto’s usual bright and happy blue eyes had seemed to turn several shades darker, his jaw was clenched and his fists were balled in anger. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” One of the men called out to the blond, and that was all he needed to almost snap, “Your worst nightmare.” Was all that could be heard before he punched the man right across the jaw, probably knocking a tooth out by the way the man grabbed at his jaw as he stumbled to the ground. The other five that were still standing lunged at him and a fight broke up no matter how unmatched. Naruto was a strong man but it was incredibly difficult to focus on a target when there were so many of them trying to just get at him, however he kept his own, managing to land a few good jabs and punched on their bodies, not enough to incapacitate any of them but just enough to get them to back off a little. 

However, everything stopped when the alley was closed off by a police car, the sirens on and the speaking telling all of them to get down on the ground, which they all did, Naruto was the first one to do so, it was bad enough he was involved in this fight but once they figured he belonged to the Beasts it would be hell, so he’d be as complaisant as he could for now. The six of them were cuffed and pulled into the cars, being driven down to the precinct for questioning.

The five men who had come with the blond were interrogated first which gave Naruto enough time to call Shikamaru and tell him about what happened and to be on the lookout in case he needed to pay bail if he were sent to jail as well as enough time to look over the pictures of the various policemen that had been assigned to the precinct, each in their class photos. The blond was a bit far from the wall so he couldn’t make much out, so he didn’t pay too much mind to the picture that seemed to have Sasuke in it. There was no way Sasuke was a policeman in this corrupt world in the blonds mind, thus he shook it off and just waited for his turn.

Being pulled into questioning was always something the man hated, it wasn’t the first time he was locked up but it was the first time for assault, apparently that’s what they wanted to charge him with. But after a lot of explaining and a lot of convincing he managed to tell the truth of all that had happened, and luckily enough they all believed him and didn’t press any charges, which was good. 

He grabbed his things at the front desk and made his way outside, hauling a cab and getting inside, it was the best way to get home, considering his body was all beat up and bruised again, but just as he was walking into the cab he looked to the side and saw a figure that seemed to look like Sasuke enter the station. He was tired and he was hit in the head a couple of times so he brushed it off again, blaming his feelings for him to be the reason he was seemingly spotting the raven haired male everywhere today and instantly denying that that could possibly be the case.


	5. Cold Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed to publish this relatively soon, it's pretty good to have gotten time and inspiration to write this. Let me know what you think and don't hold back.

The day had started off so well for the blond however as the day went on it quickly deteriorated, between getting into a fist fight with 7 men and getting thrown in jail for the rest of the day he still had no food at home; the fight had taken place right as he was reaching the supermarket thus impeding him from buy food. And Naruto was starving. There was only one solution: pizza.

The blond called his favourite pizza place and ordered himself a couple of boxes and a six pack of cold beer, he needed to take the night for self indulging in pizza, alcohol and possibly more, he’d have to wait and see. 

Luckily for him he wouldn’t spend the night alone as he sat on his couch because soon after the call was placed the doorbell went off with a large ring which resonated through the man’s ears in such an uncomfortable fashion that it made him shudder. Moving was difficult at the moment considering his body hurt, yet he made his way to the door lazily and opened it without asking who was at the door.

“You’ll get yourself killed if you open the door like that, you know?” Shikamaru said as he padded his way into the apartment, he knew how his friend was doing considering he had paid for his bail though it didn’t feel right to leave him alone without so much of a visit. And Chinese food. The smell filled the room and it made Naruto realise just how hungry he was, and the slimmer male noticed as well due to the loud rumble that came from his friend’s stomach. 

Shikamaru sat on the couch and took out the boxes of take out, setting them on the stained glass coffee table - the stains were a mixture of old and new, coffee and beer and soda and ashes all forming an array of unrecognisable prints – all before he called the owner of the house to sit next to him. 

It was only then that the thinner of the two managed to get a good look at Naruto; the man had bruises of every shape and colour covering his jaw, there was some swelling on his eye, but minimal, and from what he could see from where he sat the blond had bruises and scratches over his chest as well, they peeked out of the sweater he was now wearing. 

The Uzumaki’s movements were slow and painful but there was a small smile on his lips due to the fact that he was incredibly thankful to his friend for doing all of this, for coming out all this way just to be sure he was okay and that he would be eating. Naruto might not be the richest man or have the best things but he had good friends and that was what kept him fighting. 

“Thank you for this.” He hummed softly as he took his seat by his guest and grabbed the box of take out that was clearly for him; it was his favourite dish from that particular restaurant, topped with his favourite spices and sides, just what a man needed after being unfairly thrown in jail for a couple hours. 

Shikamaru shook his head as he turned the television on and grabbed the beers he brought as well, opening one and handing it to Naruto before he opened the second and took a large sip right from it. “Think nothing of it… besides, I’m sure you already ordered pizza so we can just sit, watch a game or a documentary and eat until you pass out.” 

In all fairness it wasn’t a plan worthy of an award or anything of the sort but it was a good plan, one Naruto was very glad to be a part of. “Documentary... You pick.” It was his way of showing his gratitude, knowing full well that whatever Shikamaru picked would be interesting none the less. 

Their plan went off without a hitch, they ate the Chinese food and soon after the pizza and the rest of the beers arrived, they drank and ate until they could hardly see any more food in front of them; they told jokes and talked about the penguins the documentary was on until they both fell asleep on the couch, certainly not the most comfortable place to sleep on but it was exactly what the blond needed because when he woke up, despite his body still aching, he felt much better about himself.

Shikamaru had assured him time and time again that what he had done was the right thing to do and he was well aware of that, but the fact that his action went to be recognised by someone made him feel a little more secure about the consequences of his actions. “You’re a good friend.” Was the last thing Naruto said to Shikamaru before he left his house.

The following week was incredibly uneventful, partially because of the dull pained that remained over his body and partially because of the lack of motivation that followed him for the remaining days. It wasn’t until the next weekend that he felt like himself again and went out, nowhere special but to the park he had bumped into Sasuke. Funny enough that was the first time in the past week he had thought about the raven haired male. 

The days had been getting colder as well and he had been forced to leave his small apartment with a jacket on, zipped up half way because he couldn’t be bothered to close it all up. As he walked to the park he noticed that the air had become a little lighter, it was dry but harsh as the cold seeped into his bones, winter would arrive soon and he needed to get ready for it.

Arriving at the open spaced garden there was nothing out of the ordinary happening, teenagers sitting on benches, taking about whatever it was teenagers talked about while getting high, some were skating along the pavement and grinding on the railings of the stairs. Others were engaged in what could probably be deemed public indecency, dry humping right there for everyone to see while others sat on the grass, cradled in the other’s arms as they watched the sky. Naruto however was sat on the same bench that was always empty, just watching the other kids be happy. 

The blond stayed there for a while, just watching and thinking about his own life, contemplating if he should find something else to do, thinking if he should leave his gang but knowing that that would be incredibly foolish, and most of all thinking about his book; he needed something to make it pop and there was nothing in sight that was helping, maybe he needed to travel, and he would… If he had the money. 

It was only then that he saw a familiar figure shifting around in the distance, Sasuke. He lived in the building close by and he was probably getting back. It was late though and Naruto didn’t like the idea of him walking around alone so he got up and jogged to his side, the usual large happy grin on his lips. “Hey!” He called out as he got closer.

Sasuke looked at him a little surprised, he hadn’t heard from him in a while and he likely wasn’t sure how the blond had reacted to him kissing him the other night. “You know, when someone gives you their phone number they expect you to call. Or text.” 

And the words cut the blond like a knife, his jogging coming to a halt the moment he was by the others side. “I’m sorry... Things got a little out of the control the next day.” He explained as he put himself under the light, showing Sasuke the now fading bruises that had been left on him.

The raven furrowed his brows at the sight and instantly brought his hand to hold the others cheek, his eyes seemed worried but his voice the same deep, almost uncaring tone. “What happened to you?” 

“I got thrown in jail.” Maybe not the way to answer the question but it was what the blond did. But Sasuke’s reaction was a little more surprised than usual though he paid it no mind. Naruto explained the story carefully and even told him about how he thought he had seen someone that looked like him in a picture and walking into the station.

Sasuke laughed at it, saying it was ridiculous and he’d never be a cop, to which Naruto replied with a large grin over his lips. “Yeah, I thought it was silly too, but it was pretty funny.” 

The two of them stayed out in the street talking for a while, about nothing in particular but maybe about a little bit of everything, they got to know each other for a while but it was all interrupted when Sasuke rubbed his arms and looked up at his apartment. “It’s getting kind of cold. Mind if we do this upstairs?”


End file.
